Slowly but surely of late, professional sports teams have been moving to embrace the online ticket resale market. Sure, teams wanted to be able to claim their own piece of a the pie that's currently dominated by eBay and Stub Hub, but the question always was how to go about getting that done.Earlier today, the NHL went with the safe bet when it announced that it was teaming with ticket behemoth Ticketmaster to create an online marketplace where fans could both buy and sell their seats.
While it's not an earth-shaking announcement -- after all, Ticketmaster is also the official ticket resale partner of both the NFL and the NBA -- it's impossible to argue with the league's choice.
What does the league get? It gets a reputable partner that simply dominates event ticket sales in North America. And while many fans might grumble with Ticketmaster and their fees, there's little doubt that when you deal with them, those fees will pay for a level of service you might not find elsewhere. On the NFL side, I've used Ticketmaster to electronically transfer Baltimore Ravens tickets to friends, something that's far more convenient than using FedEx or arranging to meet someone outside the arena.
So, is there any reason to stick with eBay or StubHub? As long as they have mass and are active marketplaces, there will always be a reason to check them out for tickets. Like it or not, some folks don't like or trust Ticketmaster, and that's never going to change. Look for those folks to help keep those online ticket markets alive and thriving.
